Joseph Jebelli: In Pursuit of Memory
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In Pursuit of Memory: The Fight Against Alzheimer’s
When neuroscientist Joseph Jebelli was twelve, his beloved grandfather began to act very strangely. It started with inexplicable walks, and gradually his bright smiles were replaced by a fearful, withdrawn expression. Before long, he didn't recognise his family any more.
In his brilliant, attitude-changing book that unpacks the facts and realities behind a more common killer than cancer, Jebelli explores the past, present and future of Alzheimer's disease starting from the very beginning. It is a story as good as any detective novel, taking us to nineteenth-century Germany and post-war England; to the jungles of Papua New Guinea and the technological proving grounds of Japan; to America, India, China, Iceland, Sweden, and Colombia; and to the cloud-capped spires of the most elite academic institutions. Its heroes are expert scientists from around the world - but also the incredibly brave patients and families who have changed the way scientists think about Alzheimer's, unveiling a pandemic that took us centuries to track down, and above all, reminding everyone never to take memory - our most prized possession - for granted.
Joseph Jebelli is a thirty-year-old British neuroscientist and writer, and In Pursuit of Memory is a remarkable combination of fine writing, personal honesty and deep scientific insight. It is simply riveting reading.